The Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. topped off 2012 to become one of America’s largest microbreweries.

Owner Mark Henderson said Mississippi’s first post-prohibition brewery obtained the distinction in 2012, brewing approximately 14,000 barrels (BBL) of beer. Moving forward into 2013, Lazy Magnolia will transition to become one of the nation’s smallest regional breweries, he said.

An industry designation, microbreweries produce up to 15,000 BBL annually compared to regional breweries, which produce more than 15,000 BBL of beer. Records show 922 microbreweries and 81 regional craft breweries currently operate within the U.S.

To meet production demands, Lazy Magnolia embarked on an expansion project in 2012, including installation of a 60 BBL brew house and two 60,000-pound grain silos. The company plans to triple its floor space to a total of nearly 30,000 sq. ft. in 2013.

“We’re moving forward with our expansion process, despite possibly some of the most challenging economic times of our lives,” Mark said. “Unfortunately, the process of expansion is just that difficult. It is a huge hurdle—surviving it is success in itself.”

Lazy Magnolia opened in 2005, producing 600 BBL in its first year. Projections call for the Kiln-based brewery to produce 45,000 BBL by 2017.

“We have been very blessed,” Mark said. “Mississippians have been very supportive of us, and we appreciate that support.”

Leslie Henderson, the company’s brew master, owns the company with her husband, Mark.

In 2012, Lazy Magnolia launched into South Florida, Texas and South Carolina, expanding into a total of eight Southeastern states.

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